In the field of painting and decorating, despite the technological advances that have been made in the rapid application of paints and stains to large areas by the employment of airless spray and pressurized roller technology, it is still necessary for the craftsman to apply paint to window sash and frames, doors, fascia, trim and difficult-to-reach areas by traditional brush and roller means. In order to accomplish coverage in these areas it is frequently necessary for the craftsman to assume awkward, uncomfortable and often dangerous positions on ladders, scaffolds, swing-staging, steeply pitched roofs and the like and employ the maximum reach provided by his or her arms to reach the difficult areas.
Unlike the carpenter who preceded, the painter is not afforded the luxury of dry, readily "pocketable" or "en-pouchable" tools. The very nature of the painters craft dictates that his tools be covered with paint in order to accomplish the job at-hand.
Also, unlike the carpenter, whose nails and screws may be readily carried in a pouch or nail apron with little likelihood of spillage and little damage done should a spill occur, the painter must carry his material in a liquid-containing pail or bucket, which must have an opening in the top thereof, to permit the frequently required re-loading of the paintbrush, while constantly attempting to maintain the paint pail or bucket in a near vertical position to prevent the spillage of a compound which, at best, is difficult and costly to remove and at worst, may require the employment of sophisticated aromatic solvent compounds which may have an adverse effect upon the environment.
Further, unlike nails which may fall to the ground and be easily collected and re-used, paint, once spilled is forever lost, thus placing the economic burden of material replacement upon the painter.
The painter faces an additional challenge when he must apply paint with a roller, as a means must be available to remove excess paint from the roller and distribute the paint in a substantially even coating upon the roller in order to make possible the even coating of the surface to be painted. This is generally accomplished by using a shallow, rectangular pan having a flat bottom portion which contains the paint supply and a tapered or slightly upwardly sloping bottom portion which is provided with a wire-like mesh or corrugations upon which the paint bearing roller may be rolled to remove excess paint and distribute the paint equally upon the roller. The use of such a pan is contingent upon a firm and level surface upon which it may be placed, a condition rarely found in the realm of the trim painter.
A last challenge faced by the trim or finish painter is that of carrying all the tools which will be needed to accomplish a complete painting operation without the requirement for constantly descending and re-ascending the ladder or scaffold to sequentially acquire the different tools required to finish the job, a task which may consume as much as twenty-five percent of the work-day and subjects the painter to additional exposure to the hazards associated with ladder and scaffold climbing.
Historically, as is reflected by the prior art, attempts have been made to make it easier for painters and others to carry materials and equipment attached to, or suspended from, the body of the user through the employment of various belts, harnesses and attachments and some progress has been made, though no commercial success or general usage of any of the earlier teachings is in evidence. Examples of these efforts, disclosed by the prior art, include the work of McGuire, who in U.S. Pat. No. 2,985,349 taught a "Painter's Pail and Brush Holster" for transporting a pail of paint and a single brush, attached to a holster-like device; Lankford, who devised a very complex "Paint Holder" which holds a paint container on an assembly which is worn in front of the user as was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,542; Swinney, who disclosed a "Painter's Belt-On Brush and Bucket Holder and Carrier" in U.S. Pat. No. 4,325,503, which carries a large paint bucket suspended from a belt-supported framework and; Hayes, who in U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,720 disclosed a belt-supported, hip-mounted device having a central rotational point.
It will be noted that, with only one exception, these examples of the prior art depend upon the semi-circular "bail" or wire handle of the paint container as the means of suspension of the paint container and the included weight of the paint therein. These handles, being of a relatively light-gauge wire, are easily bent or deformed and are subject to frequent failure at one or the other of their points of attachment to the sides of the container, resulting in the spillage of a large quantity of paint and the creation of the aforementioned spill-related problems.